Ulverston craft group fills 100 Christmas shoeboxes for children

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 2 Nov, 12:22 · Archive

A craft group at Bethany Church in Ulverston has filled 100 Christmas shoeboxes for children overseas through Operation Christmas Child.

Makers Meet, a craft group at Bethany Church in Ulverston, has filled 100 Christmas shoeboxes for children overseas. The group meets every other Thursday and has been running for just over a year. Since September, members have dedicated their sessions to making and collecting items for Operation Christmas Child, a gift project run by the charity Samaritan's Purse.

Handmade gifts include ribbon dancers, bead dolls, crocheted stuffed animals and hats, jigsaws and sets of building blocks, alongside donated store-bought items. The group began with a handful of people linked to the church before expanding. Organisers held two packing parties and invited the whole church to participate, allowing attendees to select items and pack boxes for either boys or girls.

Each box contained a 'wow' gift – a toy or item the child would really love such as a football or doll – alongside a personal hygiene kit, notepads, a filled pencil case, a colouring book, a gym bag and smaller fun fillers. Pastor Matt Rich said the church wanted to 'be a generous church' and help 'bring a little joy to children who might otherwise go without'. Following this success, Bethany Church has become an official Operation Christmas Child Drop-Off Location, replacing the need to travel to collection centres in Kendal or Burnley.

How it is being reported

• Ulverston craft group fills 100 Christmas shoeboxes for children overseasA new craft group in Ulverston has helped fill 100 shoeboxes of Christmas gifts for children overseas.NW Evening Mail · 2 Nov, 12:04
• Ulverston craft group fills 100 Christmas shoeboxes for children overseasA new craft group in Ulverston has helped fill 100 shoeboxes of Christmas gifts for children overseas.Westmorland Gazette · 2 Nov, 12:04

In this story: Ulverston · Bethany Church · Makers Meet · Operation Christmas Child · Samaritan's Purse · Matt Rich

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